Home Forums Hunting & Shooting Hunting Optics 7x42 binoculars. Who uses?

I use two different 7x42. One is the Swarovski SLC, the other the Zeiss Classic. I use both frequently.

The 8x32's with good glass are bright and light. To me, one of the advantages of a 7x42 is the freedom for the eye to move around in the exit pupil and the depth of field. Those two things are hard to keep when you get to 8x with a 32mm.

Edit to add this is more important to me the shorter the glassing range...thick woods, and the more unstable I may be when glassing...still hunting in thick woods.

I grew up on 7x35 porros as was the norm once upon a time. I still prefer 7x; just easier to look through for whole minutes at a time.

For me all my binocs are "truck binocs" so top-dollar Swaros or Ziess haven't been in the plan.

Fortunately even the moderately-priced stuff has only gotten better over the years. What rides in my car and what were strapped to my chest during my 1,500 mile bicycle trip in Europe last summer is a pair of 7x36 Atlas Intrepids, IIRC about $300 on sale from Eagle Optics.

When I was a young man they would have been considered excellent, but the way binocs are today they are just average, which is still pretty durned decent.

Birdwatcher

Have you considered 6x30's? They are very stable, very bright, very comfortable to use. Given that you already own some quality 10x42's this might be a better option.

There aren't a lot of choices, but the available choices are excellent. Leupold offers the 6x30 Yosemite which is a sub $100 porro prism that is very good for the money. Moving up in quality is the discontinued Vortex Viper HD's 6x32. These are really excellent bino's and you may be able to find a good deal on some close out stock somewhere. Maven optics is offering a 6x30 now. I haven't had a chance to look through a pair yet, but I would be surprised if they weren't excellent. Maven has a demo program that allows you to return the binos if you don't like them.

http://mavenbuilt.myshopify.com/collections/demo-units/products/demo-unit-b-3

David

I like ten power. I hunt in west Texas, able to see 800 yards

I had the non-HD version, and loved them. However I sold them when I needed cache. I now use 6.5 x 32 Meopta or 8 x 32 Fl's. the 6.5 Meopta's have a little better FOV, the Zeiss has better resolution.

Have you tried the Meopta 7x42 Meostar?

Me too. Another happy camper.

I like the idea of new glass with new coatings but these work so well for me that new binoculars never make it to the top of the list of things to buy next.

I use Swaro SLC 7x42Neu as my primary bino. The world is a happy place as viewed through them.

I hunt with MINOX BD Compact 7x28 BR Binoculars Autofocus Flat Field.

They are $341 from Amazon
https://www.amazon.com/Minox-BD-7x28-Binoculars-62039/dp/B004Y7C52Q

I havent. If a deal came up on em tho i would consider those

I use 7x42 Swaro SLC's. They have been great the last 25 years and recently were refurbished by Swarovski to as new condition. I love em.

I have these. Great glass, I used them for all kinds of hunts, sheep, mtn goat, moose and elk. You can't go wrong.

fwiw

I use them but not a lot. They go stillhunting with me in the Great Lakes woods.

A circa 2000 Swaro 7x42 Porro. These, I was told by Swaro, got the 2000ish coating update (post yellow tint). They have a narrow FOV for a 7x42 but make up for it with a view that still rivals today's best roof prisms--and do have a couple samples on hand to compare. I like the depth of field that the lower magnifications give you for still-hunting.

They weigh roughly 6oz more than the 6x30mm stuff, but are significantly better in very low light. For me, at least, a slightly heavier bino is easier to steady.

I use the Swarovski 7x42 SLC. I sold off my older pair and bought a newer pair with later coatings. Then I bought a 7x42 SLC Neu just in case. Then I bought a Zeiss FL 7x42 roof prism in case I needed the lighter weight.

That was several years ago and I have not used the 7x42 Neu or the Zeiss yet.

This format works very well for very nearsighted people with strong eyeglass prescriptions.

Swaro 7x42 SLC Neu here along with a Minox BD IF 6.5x32, Pentax DCF-WP 8x32, Zen-Ray ED2v2 7x36, and a factory restored 1st generation Leupold Gold Ring IF 9x32 porro.

Best glass for the money ever! I must have sold 5 pairs for Doug to hunting buddies.

Any new stuff out I should be looking at?

I wouldn't pay full price for them, but have $100 in a set of 7X42 Swarovski's. They were made in the mid 1980's and do great to keep in the truck They are bigger and heavier than I want to lug around. But other than the weight are great binoculars.

I find those to be my favorites